RES 173 Draft 01 2010-2012 - Laserfiche WebLink

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EXHIBIT A THE SENATE TWENTY- LEGISLATURE, 2012 STATE OF HAWAII A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO VOTING. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII: SECTION 1. In the 2004 presidential election, 19,117 (21.8%) voters cast absentee ballots in Hawaii County. In the 2008 presidential election, a record number of voters cast absentee ballots (29.1%) in Hawaii County. This trend demonstrates that more voters are finding Vote By Mail to be an easier option than voting at the polls on the day of the election. Other states, such as Oregon (entire state) and Colorado (37 of 39 counties), have used Vote By Mail as the exclusive method for casting ballots. From their experience with Vote By Mail, these states have found that: (a) Vote By Mail increases voter participation because it makes it easier for people to vote; and (b) Vote By Mail increases voter convenience because weather, natural disasters, driving, cost of gasoline, work, child care, illness, and long lines are no longer an issue; and (c) Vote By Mail increases confidence in the accuracy and fairness of election results because there is as a paper ballot that is verifiable and may be audited; and (d) Vote By Mail reduces fears of fraud because the county office of elections will verify the signature of every voter before the ballot is opened or counted, and (e) Vote By Mail improves accuracy in the general county register because mailed ballots are not forwarded by the post office but are returned to the county office of elections; therefore, the general county register is kept accurately without the risk of inappropriate purges; and (f) Vote By Mail maintains uniformity because centralized supervision of ballot processing in strict compliance with the law; and (g) Vote By Mail allows voters to keep their ballots for a longer period of time to study their choices and to research their questions before casting their votes; and